WORK, EMPLOYMENT, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN THE FILM AND TV WORKFORCE
The University of Glasgow and the Film + TV Charity are looking for a doctoral researcher to lead a project entitled ‘Work, employment, diversity and inclusion in the film and TV workforce: Improving the evidence-base for intervention.’ The project is a Collaborative Doctoral Award funded by AHRC and The Scottish Graduate School for Arts & Humanities
Film & TV are key components of the UK’s society, culture and economy. Practitioners, policy-makers and academics alike have pointed out that (a) film & TV need to be produced by a diverse workforce; (b) that workforce diversity is closely linked to work and employment conditions; (c) that workforce diversity and work and employment conditions in UK film & TV are currently problematic in various regards; and (d) that we lack rigorous, integrated data to develop effective interventions for both workforce diversity and work & employment conditions.
The current lack of good quality evidence is rooted in the design of existing data sources:
- Conventional Office for National Statistic data sources are limited in how they can capture work and employment in film & TV.
- In some film & TV occupations, up to 90% of the workforce are on freelance contracts. Workforce data obtained through employers – most influentially, Ofcom’s employer census on diversity – misses out a substantial share of freelancers working in film & TV.
- Research that does capture freelance workers – most influentially, Creative Diversity Network’s Project Diamond – tends to focus on specific aspects such as diversity and inclusion, work & employment conditions or mental health.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS THIS PROJECT WILL EXPLORE
Against this background, the project’s research question will be: How can we more effectively assess and monitor the size, composition and employment conditions of the UK’s film and TV workforce? We expect the following to be relevant sub-questions:
- What are the benefits and pitfalls of existing approaches?
- What are the needs of key sector stakeholders?
- How can concerns about equality, diversity and inclusion be better integrated into data generation?
- How can our evidence in relation to these questions inform new methodologies for assessing and monitoring the sector workforce and what can we learn from building and piloting these new methodologies?
The specific methods and methodologies for this project will depend on the experience, skillset and interests of the successful candidate.
LOCATION
The project will be based at the University of Glasgow (supervised by Professor Doris Ruth Eikhof and Professor Melanie Simms) and undertaken in close collaboration with the Film + TV Charity (project liaison Rupert Jones-Lee). The award includes funding for on-site secondments to the Film + TV Charity’s offices in London.
PROJECT SUMMARY
Supervisors:
Professor Doris Ruth Eikhof, DorisRuth.Eikhof@glasgow.ac.uk
Professor Melanie Simms, Melanie.Simms@glasgow.ac.uk
Funding: AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Award
Application Deadline: 30 May 2022
Project start date: 1 October 2022
ELIGIBILITY AND HOW TO APPLY
HOW TO APPLY
To apply, please submit
- Scholarship Application Form 2022
- A covering letter outlining your suitability for PhD study in general and this project in particular.
- Academic transcripts (All relevant Undergraduate and Master’s level degree transcripts (and translations, if not originally in English) – provisional transcripts are sufficient if you are yet to complete your degree).
- 2 references (where possible your references should include an academic familiar with your work. Both references can be from academics but you may include a work reference, especially if you have been out of academia for more than 5 years).
- Curriculum Vitae (CV) (no more than 3 pages, academic where applicable).
Shortlisted applicants will be asked to attend a video call interview in early/mid June.
Please send completed applications to Jeanette.Berrie@glasgow.ac.uk by 12 noon on 30 May 2022.
ELIGIBILITY
We encourage applications from candidates with a background in cultural studies; creative industries research; work & employment studies; labour market economics; film, TV, media or production studies; sociology; research methods and related subjects.
We want to encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds, including candidates with professional experience outwith academia. We cannot consider candidates who do not meet the degree requirements. For all other criteria we are open to a range of evidence of how your individual experience and expertise meet each criterion. When addressing these criteria in your application, please highlight whichever aspect of your personal profile you see as most relevant.
Applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria
Essential:
- A good first degree in a relevant subject and either an appropriate Masters qualification or relevant professional experience.
- Experience of, or interest in, researching diversity & inclusion or work & employment in film, TV or the cultural economy more broadly.
- Experience of, or interest in, working with diversity & inclusion data and work & employment data (e.g. Labour Force Survey, UK Census).
- Experience in quantitative and/or qualitative research design, data collection and analysis.
- Demonstrable skills in writing up and communicating research.
- Ability to communicate effectively with a range of project stakeholders.
- A conscientious approach to work and the ability to deliver tasks/projects.
- Ability to organize own work, work independently and meet deadlines.
- Ability able to work within a team and across academic and non-academic settings.
- Confident user of Microsoft Office.
Desirable:
- Achieve (or expect to achieve) a Masters degree in a relevant discipline.
- Professional experience in a related research area.
- Confident user of research software such as NVivo, Qualtrix, SPSS, etc.
- Experience of presenting information in different formats and styles to reach different audiences.
Please note that all applicants must also meet the entry requirements for the PhD in Film & TV Studies.
FUNDING
Funding will cover tuition fees at the home/UK rate, a stipend at the Research Council rate (£16,062 for 2022-23), and a mobility allowance of £550 p/a, full-time for 3 years and 6 months (pro-rated for up to 7 years part-time). The College of Arts will waive the difference between the UK and International fees for this studentship, meaning that all students are eligible to have their tuition fees covered in their entirety.